Files Re-dated to 01/04/80 
Windows has started popping up dialog boxes, complaining that DDEML.DLL and other system files are out of date. These appear during boot and if you change configuration.
Here's what happened:
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your system crashed or had an improper shutdown
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your BIOS clock (for whatever reason: dead battery, glitch) reset to its default time upon boot, your DOS clock was set to the improper date by the BIOS RTC
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since your system was not properly shutdown, your drive was scanned for errors on startup
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during the scan Norton Disk Doctor (NDD for DOS) noticed that your system had files that were dated in the "future", and "fixed" them all be re-dating them to 01/04/80. (MS ScanDisk may also do this, but I don't know for sure.)
Now Windows complains about outdated system files upon boot, and if you install any new hardware or software, or if you make changes to your system configuration. Also the System File Checker (your best defense against system instability) is useless as it reports thousands of file changes.
Regrettably, the only thing you can do to get things back to "normal" is to re-install Windows. (I spent two days reinstalling *everything* to correct the exact same situation.)
To prevent this, you need to disable the "fixing" of future file dates by Norton Utilities. Do this by:
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restart your system
- while it's booting, press and hold the left Ctrl key
- when the menu appears, select 5-Command
Prompt
- at the DOS prompt, type NDD
and press [Enter]
- select Options
- select General
- uncheck the box beside "Check
File Dates && Times"
- select OK
- select Save
- select Quit
- reboot the system
Dialup Password Won't Save
After updating to Windows 98 SE, my system would no longer save my dialup password, forcing me to re-enter it every time I wanted to go online. Checking the Save Password box had no effect.
The problem turned out to be an errant key in the Registry. To fixed it:
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Run Regedit.
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Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Policies\Network, delete the key DisablePwdCaching. (Or you can rename it, instead, making restoring it easier if you need it back.) -
Close and Restart the system.
According to MS Knowledgebase article Q148925, setting the value to zero will re-enable password caching, but this is incorrect. It's the *presence* of the key that disables password caching, so it needs to be removed to change the system's behavior.
However, the other advice in the article may be helpful if these steps don't solve your problem.
System File Checker
All too often, a properly operating system will suddenly and inexplicably become unreliable. Frequently, this is caused by the installation or removal of a program, resulting in an outdated or missing resource file.
When a new program is installed, it may bring with it resource files for operating dialog boxes, buttons or other resources that are common to programs throughout the system. The newly installed resource file may, in fact, be older and less functional than the file that it replaces. If so, the newly installed program will work fine, while previously working programs will cease to operate properly.
When a program is removed from the system, it may take with it common resource files that are used by other programs. The remaining programs will then not be able to operate properly, if at all.
Windows 98 has a little-known utility program (the System File Checker) which, can greatly assist in tracking changes and recovering files when they are overwritten or removed.
The System File Checker (SFC) utility records information about common resource files and can show you where a file may be outdated or missing. It will also offer to help recover missing or overwritten files.
Using the System File Checker
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Click start/run, enter SFC in the run dialog box, and click OK.
- Click on the Settings button, and make sure in that
both "check for changed files" and "check for deleted
files" options are checked. Click OK.
- From the main screen click Start.
SFC will begin scanning, stopping to display each file that's different from its internal database. My recommendation is to use the following process:
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if the versions differ, always use the version with the highest version number. (the version numbers are assigned by the programmers who write the code, and are the most reliable way of knowing which file is the most current)
- if the versions are the same and the sizes differ,
use the smaller file. (the programmers sometimes recompile the files
with optimizations and debugging code removed, making the file
smaller and faster but with no changes to their operation, so you'd
want to use the faster, more efficient version)
- if the versions and sizes are the same, update the verification to leave the current file in place. (file dates can be changed by anyone and are frequently modified by people for arbitrary reasons, so they are not reliable indicators of the most current files - it's best to just ignore the dates)
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Important Note: For SFC to be useful, it's important to run it regularly so that its list of file versions is up to date. Waiting for a system problem and then checking the system against a seriously outdated file list may not be very helpful. Take the time to run SFC now (when your system is working reliably) so you'll have a good baseline to work from. In the future, run SFC after every software installation or removal so that you catch outdated or deleted resource files before they cause a problem. |
ACPI
During Windows 98 Setup, ACPI is installed only on systems that are listed on the retail compact disc as good ACPI systems. However, if you have had the system BIOS updated to a fully functioning ACPI BIOS, you can have ACPI installed by using the following procedure.
To install ACPI
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Flash the BIOS to the latest rev.
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Run Regedit.
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Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Detect, add a String value called ACPIOption, and set it to 1. (or use the ACPION.REG file from the downloads page) -
In Control Panel, click Add/Remove Hardware and have it run full detection.
To remove ACPI support
Perform steps 2 through 4, but set ACPIOption to 2.
The settings for ACPIOption are as follows
0 (or not present) - Detect only ACPI BIOSs on good list.
1 - Detect any ACPI BIOS.
2 - Do not detect ACPI BIOSs (remove support if installed).
Alternatively, you can enable ACPI support at setup time using the following command line:
setup /p J
Missing Title Bar Gradients
After changing my video board, the gradient colors I had set in the Windows title bars disappeared. Going into Display/Properties/Appearance, I could see they were still set but Windows wouldn't display them. A tip from Bob Erkamp instantly solved the problem:
He explained that when switching screen color depth to 256 colors and then back to a higher setting somehow disables the gradients. To get them operating again, you must actually change on the the color settings for the title bar to something else (and then you can switch it back to your preference).
Doing this instantly solved my problem.
Solutions to Common Font Problems
Install New Font Grayed Out
This happens when the system attribute is removed from the \Windows\Fonts directory where the font files are stored. You can check to see if the folder has the system attribute set by right-clicking on it in Windows Explorer and selecting Properties.
Sometimes, you can't change this from Win98 so fix it this way:
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restart in MS-DOS mode
- at the DOS prompt, type: attrib
+s \windows\fonts
- hit Enter (if you haven't already)
- reboot and everything will be back to normal
No Fonts in Font Selection Window (part 1)
Windows lets you select a range of typefaces in your documents, but restricts them to the ones that will actually print on your printer. (Nearly all printers will print every typeface on your system, so all are usually available.) However, if your system does not have a default printer selected, or the printer is set to an older model with very limited Windows driver support, you may have few or no typefaces at all in your selection.
Check My Computer/Printers to make sure you have a printer driver installed, and ensure that it's not set up as "generic, text only" as this will stop fonts from showing.
No Fonts in Font Selection Window (part 2)
Older programs (those designed for Windows 3.X), may look for the system font list in system.ini, where the list used to be kept. If you're using an old program, and it doesn't offer you the typefaces that are on the system, you may be able to resolve it this way:
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load \windows\system.ini into the Notepad
- find and remove the section that starts [Fonts]
- reboot and everything will be back to normal